Brandon Van Dam

BBA (Wilfrid Laurier University), MBA (Wilfird Laurier University)

Brandon Van Dam earned his BBA with the co-op option at Laurier. During his time as a student, he was a BU111/121 teaching assistant and president of the School of Business & Economics Students' Society (now known as Lazaridis Students' Society). Upon graduation, Brandon worked at Sun Life Financial, in various roles as part of the Rotational Leadership Development Program. In 2017, Brandon joined Laurier full-time serving as the Associate Director of the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation and the AshokaU Change Leader, helping students and alumni build and grow successful ventures. Brandon went on to complete his MBA at the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics specializing in strategic management.

In 2020, Brandon joined McMaster University's Faculty of Health Sciences where he served as the Senior Manager, Administration & Trusts, overseeing the administration of close to $500 million in trust funds that enabled educators, researchers, and clinicians to advance health through learning and discovery. Since then he held various senior administrator roles, most recently as the Managing Director for the Chronic Pain Network, a national research network focused on the treatment and prevention of chronic pain.

Brandon has taught at Laurier since 2015, teaching introductory business and entrepreneurship courses, along with serving as the faculty advisor for the JDCC Laurier team, who won the Academic Cup in 2024. Brandon has sat on a number of not-for-profit boards, including the Grand River Hospital Volunteer Association, Grand River Hospital Foundation, and the Kitchener Public Library, where he currently serves as Chair of the Public Service & Policy Committee.